1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a cartridge to be mounted to an image forming apparatus such as a laser printer, and a roller cover to be attached to the cartridge.
2. Background
A cartridge, for example a developing cartridge, is removably mounted to a main body in an image forming apparatus, such as a laser printer, has been known.
The developing cartridge has a housing to accommodate a toner in its inside and a developing roller carrying a toner at its circumference. The developing roller is rotatably supported at both sidewalls of the housing, and a portion of the circumference is exposed trough the housing.
When developing cartridge is not mounted to an image forming apparatus, a portion of a developing roller is exposed from the housing, and the exposed portion may be damaged during a transition of the developing cartridge. So, when the developing cartridge is not mounted to the image forming apparatus, a developing roller cover is attached to the developing cartridge for protecting a developing roller.
Such developing roller cover is made of, for example, resin material. When the developing roller cover is attached to a developing cartridge, a developing roller cover includes a cover portion, which faces a developing roller throughout its axial direction, and a pair of engage portions, which is provided at to both end portions of the cover portion in an axial direction and is protruded perpendicularly. In attachment operation of the developing roller cover, while one of the engage portions is engaging to a housing of the developing cartridge, the other of the engage portions is extended toward outside of the axial direction and the developing roller cover is pivoted with respect to the one side of the engage portion as a pivot point. Thus, the other side of the engage portion is engaged to the housing. As a result, the attachment operation of a developing roller cover to a developing cartridge is completed.